Stray
by x-MarsBar
Summary: When Emily decides to take Jack to the park, they go home with more than she bargained for.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds, nor Emily, Hotch or Jack. Otherwise this wouldn't be just fanfiction. (;

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Emily pushed her sunglasses up her nose with the hand that held her car keys; her other hand was latched into mini-Hotch's smaller one. Jack was bouncing excitedly down the small path that would eventually lead them to the playground he was so eager to get to. Emily smiled down at the little boy, whom she had come to love as her own child, as he eyes grew wider by the second. He was so much like his father in so many ways, yet so different. She imagined that he acted a lot like Haley as well. She had only met the woman once, before she and Hotch hit the rocky patch in their marriage. She was a nice woman, somewhat of a perfectionist, but she had been a good person in her lifetime. But Emily still did not know much of anything about the woman, nor did she want to bring up the pain that her fiancé and his son were just getting over after her death.

"Hurry up, Emmy! We're almost there." Jack's voice broke her out of her train of thoughts and she let a small laugh escape her lips. He was so impatient, just like every other little kid, but it still brought a smile to her lips.

"Would you prefer we ran, Jack? I'm sure your father would only be mildly angry about that," she said to the child at her side, a teasing lilt in her voice. He skidded to a halt and gave her a confused look.

"Why would Daddy be angry if we ran?"

Emily's smile turned into a grin as she shook her head and looked back down at Jack. "Because I'm not supposed to be running. It can hurt the baby, sweetie."

Jack nodded slowly as his eyes fell onto the small bump underneath Emily's shirt. "Then we won't run," he said matter-of-factly as his eyes met hers again and he began walking. He tugged on her hand and she stared at the top of his head before shaking her own again, the grin returning to her face. She reached over, ruffled his hair, and received a giggle from the small boy.

"We're here, Emmy!" He said only moments later and ripped his hand from hers. Jack shot across the rest of the small space leading into the sand and practically charged towards the playground.

"Be careful, Jack," she called after him as she made her way towards one of the shaded benches. She collapsed onto it and leaned back, letting herself rest after her long walk. Emily had been fit all of her life, she was never lazy, but ever since she became pregnant she had lost a lot of her energy. She was in dire need of it back, especially with a five year old boy in the house. JJ had told her not to worry, that it was part of being pregnant, but then again, JJ didn't have another small child living in her house. It was only her, Will and Henry. Emily knew it was going to be hard having to raise a baby and then another child, but she would just have to get used to it; especially if she wanted to have more children with Hotch later on.

She placed her hand on her belly and gently caressed it as she kept her trained eyes on Jack, who was racing through the play area like crazy. Being cooped up at home when you were five really had its toll she mused. Emily was only four months along, but she could already see her baby running around with Jack, making messes left and right, fighting over the smallest things and Hotch reading them both to sleep every night. She was truly excited about this pregnancy, not simply because it was the first pregnancy she had gone so far into, but because she was going to become a mother. She was really going to be someones mom. She had been somewhat depressed at first, remember the child she had been carrying when she was fifteen and how she had had the abortion without really thinking things through. Hotch was really supportive about the whole thing too. He stayed up with her almost every night when her emotions got the best of her and came up with all kinds of things to cheer her up.

Somewhere into her third month she had realized that maybe it had been for the best. She was only a baby herself when she got pregnant almost 20 years ago, and who knows if she could have been everything her child needed. She cheered herself up immediately after that, putting her attention on her unborn child and Jack. They needed her now and she would be there for the both of them. She would not dwell on the past.

"Emmy!" Jack sounded far away. Emily snapped back as she realized she had been lost in her head again. She took a quick glance towards the slide where Jack had been earlier and her concern quickly turned into panic when she saw that he was no longer there.

"Jack? Jack, where are you?" She quickly pulled herself off the bench and glanced around for the small boy. Oh God. How could she have lost him? She took in a deep breath as she turned and saw Jack coming back around the side of the playground. She was furious that he had disobeyed her and left her sight, but it was quickly stomped out with relief as she opened her arms and he raced through the sand to her. When he fell into her arms, she kissed the side of his head and gave him a tight squeeze. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, Jack. Do you understand?"

He nodded, slightly puzzled at her panic-stricken face, and held out something to her. She glanced down between them and realized that it was a small kitten. It couldn't be older than a few weeks. "Jack, put it down, sweetie. You don't know what that thing has, it could be sick." She tried to pry the orange ball of fur from Jack's tiny hands but he held on tight.

"But Emmy! It was all alone and it needs a mommy." Emily immediately knew where this was headed. She tried it on her mother numerous times growing up. Since her mother was never there for her, she had always wanted a puppy. Just someone to keep her company when she felt lonely, and everyone had a dog. Of course, it had never worked. Her mother had never cared for animals, not with her pricey suits and her other just as pricey clothes.

"Jack-Jack, we can't take the kitty home. It may belong to someone here, and you'll leave another little boy or girl without their kitten." She hated being like her mother, even in the slightest, but what if it had some kind of disease? She couldn't afford getting sick now, nor did she want Jack or Hotch to get sick either.

He sniffled and she saw tears pooling in his eyes. "Aww, Jack. Please don't do this to me. If your father falls for it, there's no hope for me." She closed her eyes and sat back onto the bench. Jack followed and plopped down beside her, the kitten in his lap. She reopened her eyes as he pressed into Emily's side, one hand reaching across her waist just over her baby bump. His other arm was holding the tiny cat in place, so it couldn't get away.

Emily reached up and stroked his head before leaning to the side and kissing his forehead. "It could be sick, and it can get you, me and Daddy sick."

"Then let's take it to the doctor," he said hopefully. He knew he had Emily wrapped around his little finger, and he already knew he could win this. he just needed some strong persuasion to back him up.

"It could belong to someone else," Emily pointed out again, even though she already knew she had lost this battle too.

"But it's doesn't. It was all by itself and there was no collar or anything, Emmy. Please, please, please?! I promise I'll take good care of it and you and Daddy won't need to worry." His tears were gone and he had already pulled back to look up at Emily. "Let's take it to the doctor."

She closed her eyes again and brought one hand up to rub at her face. She let out a deep breath and opened her eyes once again. "Fine, Jack, we're taking it to the doctor, but we still have to talk to Daddy about keeping it. Whatever he says goes."

"YES! Thank you, Emmy! I love you!" He threw his free arm around her neck and squeezed her tight. Her heart swelled with the love she held for the little boy and the fact that he accepted her into his life so easily.

"I love you too, Jack-Jack," she whispered as she stood up and helped him off the bench. "C'mon, let's go get that thing tested." She held out her hand and he grabbed it.

"It's a kitty, Emmy. Not a 'thing'."

"Right."

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Hotch sighed as he finally reached the front door of his home. He slipped the key into the slot and began to loosen his tie away from his throat as he pushed it open. He could hear the television on in the next room and knew it was where he would find his fiancée and his son. He placed his briefcase down on the floor beside the table in the foyer and turned back around to shut and lock the door securely behind him. As he finished setting the alarm as well, he finished undoing his tie and shrugged off his jacket. He dropped them onto the armchair in the living room and made his way towards the den. He could see the back of Emily's dark head against the light brown sofa and smiled as he started forward.

Jack's head popped up from beside Emily's then, only his son was facing him. "DADDY!"

"Hey, bud." He smiled, happy to be home. Emily turned her head at his voice and smiled at him. She tried to stand up but Jack was standing rather close to her and she was afraid he'd loose his balance if her the sudden loss of her weight shifted the sofa's cushions. Instead, Hotch came around and pulled his son into a hug before leaning forward to kiss Emily.

"I'm glad you're home, Aaron," Emily said, lovingly as she was given the opportunity to stand. She pulled both her her boys into a hug and placed her head against Hotch's chest to smile at Jack.

"I am too, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head and then did the same to his son. Emily pulled away then and turned back to the couch. He looked at her and then towards where she was glancing at. She noticed this and blocked whatever was there from his sight. He arched a brow at her and she smirked at him.

"Before you say anything, I tried to say no. Honest to God I did, Aaron." She gave a tiny laugh as she moved out of the way and Hotch saw the tiny orange thing curled into ball on the opposite side of the sofa from where his family had been sitting. His eyebrows furrowed together for a second before he actually realized what it was.

"A cat? Where did you get a cat?" He was clearly confused as he set Jack back down and moved forward slowly.

"I found her, Daddy! She was all alone and scared and I begged Emmy to take her to the animal doctor. She's really small and she needs me. Emmy said we needed to talk to you about keeping her though." Jack was obviously very proud of himself for saving the kitten and convincing Emily to take her to the vet.

Emily sat back down onto the sofa and grinned at Jack. Hotch sat down next to her and pulled her into his side as he stared at the kitten for a long moment. "I don't know, Jack. With the baby coming and all, I'm not sure if it's safe to have a cat in the house." He patted the spot on his other side for Jack to join them.

"Oh, please, Daddy? We already checked if she's sick. She's not. Her doctor said she was really small but she's not sick."

He glanced over at Emily and sighed as she shrugged. Hotch placed his hand on her belly and looked at it for a second before nodding. He turned back to his son and gave him a tiny smile. "Alright, Jack. She can stay, but if she starts scratching up all the furniture, she's gone."

"Don't worry, Daddy, I'll train her and everything. Thank you!" The little boy squealed and hugged his father as he had done Emily earlier that day.

"Bud, I don't think you can actually–" Hotch didn't get to finish his sentence, as his son had already taken hold of the kitten and dashed out of the room. "–train cats."

Emily laughed as she snuggled closer into Hotch's side. "Aww, babe, don't ruin his fun. I'm sure he'll eventually get frustrated when she doesn't sit on command." Hotch grinned and kissed Emily on the lips.

"We'll see. He's as stubborn as you are, Em." He received a glare from his fiancée and he chuckled. "Who knows, the cat may even learn to do something useful."

Emily grinned and shook her head. "We'll see," she mocked him.

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**Review?**

I hope you all enjoyed. (:


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